Commercial Growth May Come To Corner of Kathleen and Duff Roads in Lakeland

Wednesday

May 7, 2014 at 11:55 AMMay 8, 2014 at 2:48 AM

The Polk County Planning Commission approved a change Wednesday that could lead to commercial development at the southeast corner of Kathleen and Duff roads.

By TOM PALMERTHE LEDGER

BARTOW | The Polk County Planning Commission approved a change Wednesday that could lead to commercial development at the southeast corner of Kathleen and Duff roads.The commission voted 6-0 to approve a growth map change on a 1.7-acre parcel owned by Lakeland developer Chuck Warnock.Warnock said he has owned the property for 25 years and planned to develop it for commercial use when the area urbanized enough to justify it.The impetus to the commercial-center designation proposal was the recently completed widening of Kathleen Road, he said.The proposal drew opposition from homeowners in the adjacent Ridgemont subdivision.Residents cited concerns about traffic, noise, litter and decline in property values.Resident Anna Bonner said there was already adequate commercial development in the area.Other residents voiced similar concerns. Planners were presented with hundreds of letters and petition signatures opposing the proposal.County staffers recommended approval, concluding that the site is in the urban growth area and has adequate infrastructure to accommodate more intense development. The property's current designation is residential.Lawyer Jack Brandon, who represented Warnock, said there are 5,600 homes within a mile of the site, arguing there is an adequate market for commercial development.He said there is no specific use for the site and will not be until the land-use change is completed.Brandon said the development of the site will be the subject of a future public hearing, when issues such as traffic and buffering, which were concerns raised by homeowners, could be addressed.

[ Tom Palmer can be reached at tom.palmer@theledger.com or 863-802-7535. Read his blog on the environment atenvironment.blogs.theledger.com and his blog on county government at county.blogs.theledger.com. Follow on Twitter @LedgerTom. ]